Finding Direction: The Wind Vane Chronicles

 Part I - Basic Interview Questions

1.  What's your favorite scripture.

Genesis 50:20, You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. This verse and surrounding context explains much of what goes in the world, I think.

2.  Vital Statistics: - Month, Day, (Year Optional) & Place you were born

October 21, 1955 in Tuscumbia, Alabama at Colbert County Hospital (Now called Helen Keller Hospital since Tuscumbia is the birth place of Helen Heller.)

3.  Names of spouse & Children:

Cindy (Spouse)
Whitney (High school senior)
Kelsey (High school sophomore)

4.  What brought you to where (the location) you are now?”

I have to say it was God ordained.  My wife and I decided we were open to moving from West Tennessee where we had been employed by Freed-Hardeman College.  I wanted to try full time ministry since most of my training and experience was in this area.  However; we made it pretty clear to God that we didn't want to live in Florida.  Wrong answer.  God not only moved us to Melbourne, Florida, but he has kept us here for 23 years.

5.  Where all have you lived in your life?

I'm afraid my resume here is not very impressive . . . Maud, Alabama; Memphis, Tennessee; Henderson, Tennessee; and Melbourne, Florida.  I did a few short stays in Pasadena, California as a D. Min student at Fuller Theological Seminary.

6.  What kind of work do you do?

That's what my wife would like to know???  My title is Senior Minister, but most everybody in the community who knows me call me "Preacher."  I would describe my work as Pastor/Teacher.

7.  What do you love most about your work?

People:  I'm a people person and ministry is full of them and some of them are full of "it."  Only joking of course.

8.  What do you like least about your work?

People:  Especially the kind who exclude others and are unwilling to accept all of God's children.  One of my favorite quotes is from Carl Ketcherside who said: "Wherever God has a child, I have a brother or sister."

9.  Who has been the most influential person in your life & briefly why:

My paternal grandfather would be on this list.  He wanted all of his grandsons to be preachers–I turned out to be the only one.

My mother would be on this list.  She is the one person that I know that almost always treat others with kindness and love.

Velma West of Harding Graduate School of Religion.  She was a living example that God's call is given to women as equally as it is to men.

10.  Any hidden talents:

As the Rainman said:  "I'm an excellent driver."  I received my driver's license at age 16 and two weeks later was driving a school bus with 77 kids.

11.  Little known fact about me:

I presented at the FBI's Critical Incidence Conference in Quantico, VA. 


Part 2 - Favorite Things

1.   Favorite Book (other than the Bible):

Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan

2.  Favorite Movie:

Cool Hand Luke

3.  Favorite Food:

My mother's tenderloin with gravy, homemade rolls and blackberry cobbler with ice cream

4.  Favorite Kind of Music:

Rock N Roll of the classic rock variety.

5.  Favorite musical group or performer:

ZZ Top or Hank Williams Jr. (based on concerts that I attended long ago and far away)

6.  Favorite song:

LaGrange by ZZ Top or He Stopped Loving Her Today by George Jones

7.  Favorite junk food:

Werther's Chewy Caramels

8.  Favorite childhood memory:

Playing whatever sport was in season on Sunday afternoons in the pasture across from our house


Part 3 - Thought Questions

1.  What is the best meal you have ever eaten?

Holiday meals at my Mom's house including all the country foods that you can imagine ranging from country ham and biscuits to tenderloin, homemade rolls, and blackberry cobbler

2.  Where would you most like to visit that you have never been to before?

The Holy Land and/or Scotland/Ireland

3.  What is your proudest moment?

The day I asked Cindy to marry me and the days we adopted our two daughters

4.  What do you most regret?

Wasting a whole lot of money, but that's a long story.

5.  If money, health, etc. were no concern, what would you do with your time?

Preach, write, travel, teach at a Christian or state university, and play golf . . . not necessarily in that order.

6.   What is your favorite book in the Bible and why?

Romans.   Romans 8 is enough of a reason to love this book immensely.